When a building is in alarm, the elevators are recalled back to the first floor of the building and firefighters take control of them for use in the firefighting effort. Once this happens, if you push the button, the elevators won’t respond back to the upper floors.

If you are located above the fire floor, and were to get in the elevator before they’ve been recalled, there is also a chance that it would stop on the floor where the fire occurred, putting you in danger.

The best exit plan is via the stairs.

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